Shoe lasting and sewing machine



April 1941. J. M. WHELTON 2,237,169

SHOE LASTING AND SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 25, 1939 ilnass 5. 6. ZR?

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 SHOE LASTING AND SEWING MACHINE John M. Whelton, Peabody, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. Is, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 25, 1939, Serial No. 296,361

7 Claims.

- The present invention relates to improvements in shoe lasting and sewing machines of the eye pointed needle type, and more particularly to shielding devices for such machines to prevent the thread carried by the needle from marking the upper of a shoe being sewn. An example of this type of machine is disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent to Leveque No. 1,864,510 of June 21, 1932, and No. 1,972,023 of August 28, 1934.

In the lasting and sewing machines of these patents the projecting marginal portions of a lasted shoe upper and outsole are supported in positions to cause the eye pointed needle of the machine to engage the upper along the crevice formed by the outsole and the last supported surface of the upper before entering the outsole, The needle in this machine passes so close to the upper that whenever the thread carried thereby becomes slack, it whips against the finished surface of the upper and, if the machine is operated at high speeds,-a series of marks or abrasions are formed by the thread.

The object of the present invention is to prevent the upper from being marked by the thread carried by the needle in this type of machine and to provide means which will protect the upper without rendering the needle or other parts of the machine less accessible or effective in operation and, accordingly, an important feature of the invention relates to the provision in an eye pointed According to the illustrated form of the present invention the shield is mounted for swinging movement with relation to the guard towards and from a position surrounding the needle.

Other features of the invention consist in certain devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, illustrating a portion of a machine embodying the features of the present invention and indicating the manner of operation upon a lasted shoe upper and outsole; Fig. 2 is a front view of some of the parts illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of the needle thread shield and its mounting with the shield locked in operative position; Figure 4 is a similar view of the same parts with the shield unlocked and moved away from a position surrounding the needle; and Figure 5 is a sectional View along theline 5-5 of Figure 3.

needle 'machine for simultaneousl lasting and sewing shoes, which machine is arranged to receive and guide the projecting marginal portions ofa lasted shoe upper and outsole in positions to cause the needle to engage the upper along the crevice formed by the outsole and last supported In the patented described hereinafter, the thread shield cocperates with the guard to protect the upper, and the shield is easily movable to render the needle accessible for convenient threading and adjustment.

In machines of the type referred to, the shoe is fdpast the point of operation of the needle by means of a pair of cooperating rolls rotated intermittently to advance the work the length of a stitch, and the guard is arranged at the end of one of the rolls across which the needle passes.

The machine illustrated in the drawing is similar in construction and manner of operation to that in the patents abovereferred to. The illustrated machine comprises a straight reciprocating eye pointed needle 2, a rotating loop taker 4, cooperatingwith the needle to form a single thread .chain stitch seam, a work support 8, a pair of 'support being provided to receive the needle as it penetrates the projecting marginal portions first of the upper and then outsole during its 1 downward stroke. The roll Ill is rotatably mounted on a stud, the outer end of which is constructed in the form of a guard l4 and the; inner end of which is secured to a roll carrier or lever member 16 pivoted on thestud I8 secured in the frame of the machine, the needle passing diametrically across the ends of the rolls. To permit the insertion or removal of the shoe from the machine, the bracket [6 and the roll 10 are raised from engagement with the shoe and suitable mechanism is provided for pressing the roll Ill downwardly to grip the shoe against the roll 8. To guide the shoe, the guard I4 is constructed with a vertically arranged rib which projects transversely of the direction of feed sufliciently to protect the upper from engagement with the needle which operates in the crevice formed by the last supported surface of the upper and the out-turned surface thereof.

The outer surface of this rib, as indicated in Figure 1, is arranged to bear against the last supported surface of the upper so that, when the shoe is held in the machine with the side surface a As the sewing progresses;

' vices so that it will conform accurately with the shape of the last.

Due to the proximity of the last supported surface of the upper to the needle, asthe" needle enters the crevice between the'out'sole and the last the needle thread, indicated at 20, which extends forwardly and upwardly from the eye' of" the needle in the machine of the patents, has a tendency to whip against the surface of the upper whenever during the movement of the needle the thread becomes sufficiently slack to permit whipping action. When shoes of delicate or highly polished finish are being sewn, the wax from the needle thread as it whips against the surface of the upper may adhere to the upper or may cause the upper to be abraded during the rapid movement of the thread.

To avoid this difficulty, in the present machine a swinging shield 22 is provided in front of the thread carried by the needle and extending in close proximity to the last supported surface of the upper. The shield 22 is constructed from a metal sheet bent into a shape shown in Figure 5 which will surround the needle, and is secured at one end within the slotted end of a shaft 24 rotatable in a block 26 carried by the bracket l6. The other end of the shield is bent at an angle and overlaps the rib formed by the guard l4 so as to be entirely covered by the rib When the shield is in operative position.

To lock the shield in position and to permit it to be quickly unlocked and swung away from operative position, the shaft 24 is provided with a collar 28 having a notch 38 into which a lug 32 carried by a bearing sleeve 34 for the shaft may project when the shield is swung against the guard 14. To hold the collar 28 against the lug 32, the upper end of the shaft 24 is surrounded bya spring -36 compressed between the sleeve 33 and-the upper end of a recess formed in a knurled head 38 on the shaft. By grasping the knurled head 38, the shaft may be depressed sufficiently to release the notch from the lug 32 so that the I shield may be swung clear of the needle. Re-

verse rotation of the head 38 causes the shield to swing into operative position and to become locked in this position as the shaft is raised by the spring 36. I

The nature and scope of the invention having been indicated, and a particular embodiment of the invention having been specifically described, what is claimed is: l. A lasting and sewing machine for stitchdown shoes having, incombination, stitch-forming devices including a reciprocating eye-pointed needle, means for supporting the projecting marginal portions of a lasted shoe upper and outsole in positions to cause the needle first to engage the upper along the crevice formed by the outsole and the last supported surface of the upper and then to enter the outsole, and a shield between the needle and the last supported surface of the upper to protect the upper from the whipping action of the needle thread during sewing.

2. A lasting and sewing machine for stitchdown shoes having, in combination, stitch-forming lie including a reciprocating eye-pointed needle, means for supporting the projecting marginalportions of a lasted shoe upper and outsole in positions to cause the needle to engage the upper along the crevice formed by the outsole and the last supported surface of the upper before entering the outsole, an openguard arranged to engage the last supported surface of the upper in advance of the sewing point and to protect it from the needle, and a movable shield cooperating with the guard to protect the last supported surface of the upper from contact with the needle thread during sewing.

3. A machine for lasting and sewing stitchdown shoes having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a work supporting roll between which and the peripheral surface of the upper engaging roll the out-turned upper and sole are gripped, means for rotating the rolls, a needle operating diamet rically across the ends of the rolls, a guard to protect the last supported surface of the upper from the needle, and a shield arranged for swinging movement relatively to the guard towards and from a position surrounding the needle to protect the last supported surface of the upper from the needle thread during sewingor to expose the needle for threading.

4. A machine for lasting and sewing stitchdown shoes having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a work support between which and the roll, the out-turned upper and sole of a shoe are gripped, means for rotating the roll to feed the upper, a roll carrier, and a shield on the carrier surrounding the needle to prevent the thread carried by the needle from contacting the last sup ported surface of the shoe upper.

5. A machine for lasting and sewing stitchdown shoes having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a work support between which and the roll the out-turned upper and sole of a shoe are gripped, means for rotating the roll to feed the upper, a roll carrier, a rib projecting from the carrier and acting as a guard for the needle and a guide for the shoe upper located in advance of the needle in the line of feed, and a shield pivoted for swinging movement on the carrier towards and from a position surrounding the needle with one edge protected by the rib to prevent the thread carried by the needle from contacting the last supported surface of the shoe upper.

6. A machine for lasting and sewing stitchdown shoes having, in combination, an upper engaging roll, a work support between which and the roll the out-turned upper and sole of a shoe are gripped, means for rotating the roll to feed the upper, a roll carrier, a rib projecting from the carrier and acting as a guard for the needle and a guide for the shoe upper located in advance of the needle in the line of feed, a shield pivoted for swinging movement on the carrier towards and from a position surrounding the needle with one edge protected by the rib to prevent the thread carried by the needle from contacting the last carrier and acting as a guard for the needle and 10 position.

a guide for the shoe upper located in advance of the needle in the line of feed, a shield pivoted for swinging movement on the carrier towards and from a position surrounding the needle with one edge protected by the rib to prevent the thread carried by the needle from contacting the last supported surf-ace of the shoe upper, and

quickly releasable means comprising a hand actuable member movable with the shield, a lug and notch connections, and a spring for holding the lug within the notch to lock the shield in said JOHN M. WHELTON. 

